Wagon tippler



April 17, 1945. G. w. GROSSMITH ET AL 2,374,009

WAGON T I PPLER Filed Feb. 18, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JAN 5 1v T01? 5, Georra-s w- Gno ssmnw O L G. H 5 0 M m fir T f E M m? a P 5- G. WIGROSSMITH ET AL 2,374,009

' WAGON TIPPLER Filed Feb. 18, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 17, 1945 l rederick .Henry Shi -E.C.2, England elds, Moorgate, London Application February 18, 1943, Serial No. 4276;5106

I in Great Britain February 1 0, 21942 3- Claims.

our contemporaneously pending application Serial No. 475,421,, new Patent #'2,344,"74'2 and the invention relates to "wagon tipplers such as are.

employed for emptying railway wagons and the like and especially to wagon tipplers in which the wagon-is supported by a rotatable cradle and retained "in place during the action of tipping bylateral and top :stops, although the invention is not specifically limited to this of wagon itippler.

Hitherto the scope of wagon tipplers has been limited owing to the fact that such apparatus has been immobile, necessitating its being located in a fixed position. Consequently, in some cases two or more wagon tipplers have been erected in fixed separated positions for serving .two or more receiving hoppers, though the total capacity has been no more than could have been handled by onetippler. v

The object of the present invention is to provide a form of tippler'which is mobile and which can empty .or discharge Wagons :by sidetipping, at any point on either side of a railway line.

According to the invention a wagon tippler and actuating gear therefor is mounted upon a supporting mobile carriage, said carriage embodying means for guiding a railway wagon into and out of said. tippler and means determining particular form the operative path of said tippler whereby the wagon supported therein will'discharge its -contents laterally to the line of travel of said carriage.

In a preferred form the carriage is mounted on wheels or bogies designed to run on the same rails as those on which run the Wagons to be tipped, the wheels or b'ogies being articulated in respect to the carriage so as to permit the tippler to travel along curved railway tracks.

In an alternative construction the carriage is provided with an endless track or road wheels.

The railway wagons are guided into and out of the tippler by means of inclined railed ramps'up which on the incoming end, the full wagons are hauled by means provided on the tippler, and down which, on the outgoing end, the empty wagons run by gravity after being ejected from the tippler by the impact of the full incoming Wagon. The ramps are connected to the car riage by hinges, to enable them to conform to curved and irregular railway tracks.

The carriage is provided with inclined lateral roller paths upon which the tipping cradle is caused to, roll for discharging the contents of the wagon, lateral and top stops "being provided -Thisapplication is a continuation in part of in the usual manner to retain the-wagonsecurely in thecradle during partial inversion.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood, reference is directed to the'accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevation "of one form of tippler constructed in accordance -with the present'invention.

Figure '2 is a side elevation of Figure 1.

Fig, 2 is a fragmentary elevation on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 2* 5a fragmentarysectional plan on the line -'b-b of Fig, 2 showing the articulated connection between the ramp H and frame 5.

Figure 8 is a plan of Fig. '2 and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan on an enlarged scale of the a clutch mechanism.

Figure '4 indicates diagrammatically the use of a tippleroperating on a curved rail track.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate one form of tipp'ler IIlQjdGlIldCCOIdfiDCi-Z with themesent invention comprising an undercarriage I mounted on a pair of bogies 2, 2, the flanged wheels 3 of which are adapted town on a standard gauge railway line 3. The undercarriage I supports a main frame "5 upon which is erected the, tippler mechanism which comprises generally. a cradle to receive a wagon, a lateral or trans-verse rail track 1 determining the path of the tippler when di'scharging and. return, a winch 8 .for controlling the movement of said cradle having a winding drum 8 and a capstan drum 8 Also on the undercarriage "l is a super structure 9.

In order that, the capstan drum 'B 'may be used without rotating thetippler rope, a sliding pinion or clutch (not shown) is incorporated in the train of gears which drives the winding "drum 8 "so that the capstan drum 8 may be driven independently of the winding drum 8 which is provided with brake means (not shown) for retaining it in the desired position whilst disconnected from the driving unit. I v I "The operating winch may be driven by -any type of prime mover such as an electric motor, steam engine or internal combustion engine.

Awagon top support HJ' pivoted to the cradle fi'serves to holda' wagon .A in place when the cradleis locked to discharge the contents of a wagon carried therein, the Wagons being moved in turn into and out of the cradle 6 by'means of ramps 12 at'each end of the tippler. The cradle B on which the wagons are held .inturn consists of a pair of partly encircling members spaced apart and forming cradle ends T3, '13, a

at its normal or receiving position as illustrated in Figure 1, suitable guard rails and stops being provided where necessary. The cradle ends I3 are provided On their underside with arc-shaped surfaces l5 adapted to roll on the lateral rail tracks 7 which consist of a pair of short fixed transverse rail tracks extending to one side outwardly and slightly upwardly inclined one at each end of the main frame 5 and adapted to support the cradle B in which the wagons are held during the tipping motion,

Mounted on the main frame on the side away from the lateral track I is the lifting and tuming mechanism comprising a lattice gantry-like superstructure 9 extending over the cradle 6 and provided with convenient pulleys 16, 16 for actuating ropes H, H, which are secured to the cradle ends I3 and to the winding drum 8' of the winch 8 conveniently mounted on the main frame 5. The ropes ll, Il, may be positioned in guides on the cradle ends in the conventional manner so that the pull of the rope is always tangential thereto thereby producing the rolling action of the cradle ends l3 on the lateral rail tracks 1 as the ropes I1, I! are hauled on to tip the wagon.

To retain a wagon firmly on the cradle 6 whilst being tipped a top sustaining beam i8 is provided which in the example illustrated take th form of a padded beam extending a length greater than the longest wagon thatcan be accommodated on the tippler, the said beam 18 being carried on arms I9, 19, pivotally attached to the cradle as at 20. When the cradle 6 is positioned so that the wagon is upright, the top sustaining beam 18 is-held clear of the highest wagon to be accommodated. In order that upon rotation of the cradle 6 the top sustaining beam [8 is operated to contact the top of a wagon and hold it securely on the rails of the cradle, operating ropes 22 are provided and attached to the arms 19 carrying the top sustaining beam l8, so that as the tippler is operated the top sustaining beam is held firmly against the top of the wagon according to the position of the cradle 6. Therequired tension in the ropes 22 is provided by a balance weight 23 carried at one end of secondary arms 24, 24, to. the other ends of which the ropes 22 are secured. The secondary arms 24,

24, are pivoted to the superstructure 9 as at 25 and rise and fall to correspond with the movements of the cradle 6, the ropes 22 being passed over suitably located pulleys if necessary. The tension of the ropes 22 operating the top sustaining beam may also serve to check any tendency for the cradle to over-run its final tipping position.

The ramps 42 enable a railway wagon to be transferred from the railway line 4 on which the tippler is positioned to and from the track section M of the cradle B which lies between the cradle ends. The ramps l2 are provided preferably at both ends of the main frame so that a wagon which has already been emptied can be run out of the tippler without interfering with the transfer to the tippler of the next wagon to be emptied. The ramps 12 consist of short raillike girders suitably braced and hinged-1y secured to the main frame so as to be movable about a vertical and horizontal axis sufiicient to enable the ends of the said ramps to be engaged with the railway line 4 irrespective of any change in gradient, curve or tilt of that part of the track on which the tippler may be located. The end of the ramps would be tapered and may be channel-shaped to overlie the railway line and provide lateral positioning means. When the tippler has been run into position jacks, packing blocks, or other adjustable devices 25 may be brought into use to steady and support the main frame 5 as the tippler is being employed.

The operation of the tippler is as follows:

The tippler i brought to the position where it is desired to be operated and, if necessary, brakes are applied or chocks placed under the wheels to guard against movement along the track and the jacks brought into use if necessary. It should be noted that the tippler can be towed into position by external means such as a locomotive or under its own power by using a suitable rope and some convenient bollard from which to obtain a purchase. A rope is now attached to the first wagon to be tipped and passed around a capstan drum 8 incorporated in the winch mechanism which is then operated to draw the wagon up the ramp onto the track section M- in the cradle. The winding drum 8* bein held stationary during this operation the hoisting rope having been disengaged from the capstan drum 8? the winding drum 8 is now set in motion to tip the wagon by rolling the cradle ends 13 on the lat eral tracks I resulting, shortly after the rolling motion has commenced, in the top sustaining beam l8 being brought into contact with the top of the wagon to hold it pressed firmly onto the track section M. When the wagon has been tipped and emptied the winch is reversed and the cradle lowered to its initial position, whereon the wagon can be run down the other ramp onto the rail from which it was transferred to the cradle and the operation repeated with the next wagon. The tippler may, if desired, be moved to a new position for each wagon load tipped so that with a tippler made in accordance with the present invention it is possible to form a bank alongside but clear of the railway line as indicated at B, Figure 1. The bank may be formed on either side by turning the tippler round which may be done on a triangular siding or turntable, or a turntable may be incorporated in the tippler. All movements of the tippler can be effected by means of the capstan drum 8 thus making the tippler independent of any external source of power.

In a modified arrangement suitable for sites intended to be permanent, one or more additional rails may be provided parallel to the track on which the wagons run to provide increased stability at right angles to the track and to relieve said track of part or the whole of the load of the tippler. 'Such an arrangement by providing additional stability may dispense with the need for jacks.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mobile wagon tippler including a carriage mounted on wheels engaged only with and remaining in engagement with the same track as the wagon to be tipped, a main frame mounted on the carriage and'extending across the same and projecting from opposite sides thereof and provided at one side with a superstructure having a top portion located above and extending transversely of the carriage and projecting to a point beyond the same, transversely disposed outwardly extending upwardly inclined tracks rigid with the main frame and located at theother side thereof, side discharge tippler mechanism comprising a cradle located on the main frame and having its bottom portion adjacent the lower end of the inclined tracks and having a track section located above the carriage and arranged to receive a wagon to be emptied, said cradle comprising curved members arranged to roll on the inclined tracks to carry a wagon from an upright position to a dumping position, and means extending from the top portion of the superstructure and operatively connected with the cradle for moving the same to the dumping position thereof.

2. A mobile wagon tippler including a carriage 'mounted on wheels engaged only with and remaining in engagement with the same track as the carriage and extending. across the same and projecting from opposite sides thereof and provided at one side with a superstructure'having a the wagon to be tipped, arrnain frame mounted on 'the carriage and extending across the same and projecting from opposite sides thereof and provided at one side with a superstructure having a top portion located above and extending transversely of the carriage and projecting to a point beyond the same, transversely disposed outwardly extending upwardly inclined tracks rigid with the main frame and located at the other side thereof said discharge tippler mechanism comprising a cradle located on themain frame and having its bottom portion adjacent the lower end of the inclined tracks and having a track section located above the carriage and arranged to receive a wagon to be emptied, said cradle comprising curved members arranged to roll on the inclined tracks to carry a wagon from an upright position to a dumping position, a power unit on said main frame having means extending from the top portion located above and extending transversely of the carriage and projecting to a point beyond the same, transversely disposed outwardly extending upwardly inclined tracks rigid with the main frame and located at the other side thereof, side discharge tippler mechanism comprising a cradle located on the main frame and having its bottom portion adjacent the lower end of the inclined tracks and having a track section located above the carriage and arranged to receive a wagon to be emptied, said cradle comprising curved members arranged to roll on the inclined tracks to carry a wagon from an upright position to a dumping position, means extending from the top portion of the superstructure and operatively connected with the cradle for moving thesame to the dumping iposition thereof, arms pivotally supported by said cradle, a top sustaining bar mounted on said arms and arranged to engage the top of a. wagon being dumped, and a pendulum weighted lever mounted on the superstructure and operatively connected with the top sustaining bar. 

